Those doing the will of the Father!

내가 산을 향하여 눈을 들리라 나의 도움이 어디서 올꼬 2 나의 도움이 천지를 지으신 여호와에게서로다 3 여호와께서 너로 실족지 않게 하시며 너를 지키시는 자가 졸지 아니하시리로다 4 이스라엘을 지키시는 자는 졸지도 아니하고 주무시지도 아니하시리로다. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (Ps. 121:1-4)

²¹ 나더러 주여 주여 하는 자마다 천국에 다 들어갈 것이 아니요 다만 하늘에 계신 내 아버지의 뜻대로 행하는 자라야 들어가리라 ²² 그 날에 많은 사람이 나더러 이르되 주여 주여 우리가 주의 이름으로 선지자 노릇하며 주의 이름으로 귀신을 쫓아 내며 주의 이름으로 많은 권능을 행치 아니하였나이까 하리니 ²³ 그 때에 내가 저희에게 밝히 말하되 내가 너희를 도무지 알지 못하니 불법을 행하는 자들아 내게서 떠나가라 하리라. ²¹ "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' ²³ And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'  (Mat 7:21-23)

FCF: We may be deceived that our salvation is based on our mere talk with real walk.

주제: 하나님의 백성은 그분의 뜻을 행하기에 우리는 그분의 뜻대로 행해야 합니다.

Theme: Because God’s people do His will, we must walk according to His will.

Introduction: There are occasional surprises in life that defy our common assumptions and expectations. Our students had final exams this past week. They were required to take them and get the passing grades in order to complete the semester. There is no way they could escape from this requirement unless they plan to quit studying. Like it or not, they had to prepare for the final exams. Thorough preparation is necessary for good grades. Overall, they could predict how well they would do for each course, depending on how well they were prepared. However, there are some exceptions or surprises. Even though they spent hours studying for certain courses and felt quite confident about their tests, they might be disappointed when they received their report cards. They know they studied hard. They felt good about their tests. They expected they would get A or at least B. But unexpectedly they might get D or F. Then, they would be surprised. Or there might be another surprise if they would get a F grade for cheating. No matter how hard they prepared for final exams, they would fail if they were caught cheating. They thought no one saw them cheating. But a hidden camera recorded what they were doing during the test. Even though they tried to justify their wrongdoings with their best efforts they made for those tests. Cheating disqualifies them. When they are disqualified, they will be surprised and protest their innocence or qualifications.

         This is something similar we find in the text. There will be huge astonishment on Judgment Day. When the Lord declares, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness,” many will be shocked, protesting they are eligible to enter heaven. They may cheat people, but not God. We may read the text without applying it to ourselves. We may exclude ourselves from the Lord’s final verdict, assuming we are certainly bound to heaven. So were these people in the text. Instead of assuming our own salvation, it will be wiser for us to examine ourselves whether we are in the faith of Christ or not. The Lord urges His listeners to do the will of God the Father, warning against a lawless lifestyle that the majority of people follow today without considering their final destiny. People in the church talk a lot about Christ and Christianity. Unfortunately, only a few practice walking according to their talk. The Lord strongly warns His listeners against “talk without walk.” This problem is pervasive among those who profess Jesus as Lord. The Lord says that there are those who assume they are saved and are not really saved. They have a false sense of assurance of salvation, which is very common today in the church of God. Knowing the pervasiveness of this issue, the Lord challenges all His listeners to walk according to His Word, defining God’s people as “those doing the will of the Father.” Last Sunday, we covered the first two points: 1) our talk is insufficient evidence of our salvation and 2) our fervor is insufficient evidence of our salvation. I will be dealing with another insufficient evidence of salvation and sufficient evidence of salvation.

      I.         우리의 고백은 구원의 충분한 증거는 아니다.

Our talk is insufficient evidence of our salvation.

    II.         우리의 열정은 구원의 충분한 증거는 아니다.

Our fervor is insufficient evidence of our salvation.

  III.         우리의사역들은 구원의 충분한 증거는 아니다.

Our ministries are insufficient evidence of our salvation.

We may base our assurance of salvation upon our various ministries. In v. 22, Jesus says, 그 날에 많은 사람이 나더러 이르되 주여 주여 우리가 주의 이름으로 선지자 노릇하며 주의 이름으로 귀신을 쫓아 내며 주의 이름으로 많은 권능을 행치 아니하였나이까 하리니. “On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' “That day” refers to the final day of the world on which the Lord Jesus shall judge all according to what they have done on earth. “Many” does not tell us how many but “not a few.” Not a few shall protest to Jesus the Judge that they are eligible to enter heaven. They put emphasis on the name of the Lord. “Name” represents one’s authority and work. So, the name here is used to refer to the authority and work of Jesus Christ. The position of “your name” in the sentence tells that they want to emphasize their activities done according to His authority. Here is what they say: In Your Name did we not prophesy, and in Your Name did we not cast out demons, and in Your Name did we not do many mighty works? They anticipate the affirmative answer “Yes” from the Lord.

However, the Lord gives them the negative answer “No.” His answer shall surprise them. They shall be literally shocked and stunned. They have never expected they shall be excluded from entry into heaven. They have assumed that they shall receive the Lord’s rewards for their preaching, exorcism, and miracle working. They presumed their spectacular ministries as their sure eligibility to enter heaven. But they shall be taken by surprise, finding out the Lord’s severe rebuke against them. Teaching, casting out demons, or perform miracles are conspicuous in the eyes of people. But they cannot impress God. God knows the hearts of people. We may present the Lord with spectacular results of our ministries as the ground of our salvation; for example, how many people have you preached? How many people have we baptized? How many years have I served the church? How much have I contributed? How many people have been touched by our powerful preaching? But the Lord Jesus wouldn’t accept them as the final ground for our entrance into heaven. To a degree, our ministries may reveal who or what we are. To a degree, they may authenticate our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We may carry them out without obedience to the principles of God’s law. We must not substitute our obedience to God with our ministries and their results. Preaching and teaching the right doctrine of Jesus Christ without obeying His Word doesn’t count on Judgment Day. The Lord won’t accept our exorcism or miracle performance as the ground for our salvation.

There are false prophets and teachers who can perform wonders and mislead God’s people. The Lord forewarns His disciples as follows: 거짓 그리스도들과 거짓 선지자들이 일어나 큰 표적과 기사를 보이어 할 수만 있으면 택하신 자들도 미혹하게 하리라. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect (Matt. 24:24). False prophet Balaam said the right things as Yahweh commanded him to speak. But he was condemned as a false prophet. Moses warned long ago against false prophets who would mislead God’s people with wonders and miracles. He said: 너희 중에 선지자나 꿈 꾸는 자가 일어나서 이적과 기사를 네게 보이고 ² 네게 말하기를 네가 본래 알지 못하던 다른 신들을 우리가 좇아 섬기자 하며 이적과 기사가 그 말 대로 이룰지라도 ³ 너는 그 선지자나 꿈꾸는 자의 말을 청종하지 말라 이는 너희 하나님 여호와께서 너희가 마음을 다하고 성품을 다하여 너희 하나님 여호와를 사랑하는 여부를 알려 하사 너희를 시험하심이니라 ⁴ 너희는 너희 하나님 여호와를 순종하며 그를 경외하며 그 명령을 지키며 그 목소리를 청종하며 그를 섬기며 그에게 부종하고. "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, ² and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' ³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him (Deut. 13:1-4). These false prophets were able to perform miracle in the name of God. Even Pharaoh’s wise men were able to perform miracles. But they were not sent by God. We know it because they were seducing people to follow other gods and they were not obeying God’s revealed will.

We often hear great preachers or miracle workers who fell into sexual sins. They come and continue their ministries. People without discrimination welcome them and follow them. They say, “All of us are imperfect. They are God’s mighty workers.” But we have to be careful how we respond to them. We do not know whether they genuinely repented or not. We have to listen to what the Lord says here: 그 날에 많은 사람이 나더러 이르되 주여 주여 우리가 주의 이름으로 선지자 노릇하며 주의 이름으로 귀신을 쫓아 내며 주의 이름으로 많은 권능을 행치 아니하였나이까 하리니. “On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' We learn here that performing miracles cannot be a substitute for keeping the Lord’s commandments.

Their refusal to obey the will of God demonstrate they are not of Christ. They have no saving relationship with Christ. Modern churchgoers seem to follow Christianity as a religion out of many religions in the world. They deem Christianity as a decent religion. They desire to be part of something noble. But they have no knowledge of Christ’s saving power and love. Instead of following Christ and His purpose, they continue to serve themselves, that is, idolatry. J. C. Ryle said, “If you have not yet found out that Christ crucified is the foundation of the whole volume, you have read your Bible hitherto to very little profit. Your religion is a heaven without a sun, a hearth without a keystone, a compass without a needle, a clock without spring or weights, a lamp without oil.… Beware, I say again, of a religion without the cross.” What matters is to follow Christ crucified and risen. We are not called to follow signs and wonders. Signs and wonders should follow us when we preach the gospel of Christ. We are to keep our eyes not on on signs and wonders, but Christ crucified. Again, we must not use our teaching, preaching, or spiritual abilities as the ground of assurance of our salvation. Let’s turn to the final point, which is…

  IV.         우리의 순종은 구원의 충분한 증거가 된다.

Our obedience is sufficient evidence of our salvation.

The Lord gives the negative answer to those who assumed their entrance to heaven on the basis of their heavy involvement with Christian ministries. He says: 그 때에 내가 저희에게 밝히 말하되 내가 너희를 도무지 알지 못하니 불법을 행하는 자들아 내게서 떠나가라 하리라. And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' The Lord declares to them, “I never knew you.” Of course, the Lord knows who they are and what they have done. But He means here they have no saving relationship with Him. Furthermore, He calls on them to depart from Him, calling them “workers of lawlessness.” From the Lord’s answer, we see what prevents them from entering His kingdom. First, they have no saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. They have no problem of professing His lordship. They may have no problem of teaching others in the name of Jesus Christ. They may have power to cast out demons, working miracles before the public. They may have great results of their ministries. But they lack a vital, saving relationship with Jesus Christ. They have done all their activities in the church without saving faith in Christ. We may wonder how they could do such things without having any saving relationship with Christ. But the Lord says it is true of them. Second, they have no obedience to God’s law. In v. 21, the Lord describes one having saving faith as “the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” In v. 23, He describes the illegible for heaven as “workers of lawlessness.” He says those who practice lawlessness habitually shall not enter His kingdom. The Lord doesn’t teach salvation by works here. He doesn’t contrast merits with grace. Rather, He contrasts mere profession with obedience. Here He teaches saving faith is an obeying, working faith. Obedience to God’s law is evidence of saving faith. It doesn’t merit salvation. But it is certainly the fruit of saving faith.

James teaches the same thing. He condemns faith without works as dead, useless, and demonic faith, saying, ¹⁴ 내 형제들아 만일 사람이 믿음이 있노라 하고 행함이 없으면 무슨 이익이 있으리요 그 믿음이 능히 자기를 구원하겠느냐 ¹⁵ 만일 형제나 자매가 헐벗고 일용할 양식이 없는데 ¹⁶ "너희 중에 누구든지 그에게 이르되 평안히 가라, 더웁게 하라, 배 부르게 하라 하며 그 몸에 쓸것을 주지 아니하면 무슨 이익이 있으리요" ¹⁷ 이와 같이 행함이 없는 믿음은 그 자체가 죽은 것이라 ¹⁸ 혹이 가로되 너는 믿음이 있고 나는 행함이 있으니 행함이 없는 네 믿음을 내게 보이라 나는 행함으로 내 믿음을 네게 보이리라 ¹⁹ 네가 하나님은 한 분이신 줄을 믿느냐 잘하는도다 귀신들도 믿고 떠느니라 ²⁰ 아아 허탄한 사람아 행함이 없는 믿음이 헛것인 줄 알고자 하느냐. ¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe-- and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? (Jam 2:14-20).

Our Christian talk must be evidenced by our daily walk. Our talk doesn’t count if it is not supported by our walk. As the Lord brings His sermon to a conclusion, He exhorts His disciples to practice what He has said. If He doesn’t expect His listeners to obey His Word, what is the point that He has spent His precious time preaching on what kind of people they should be? He demands obedience from all His people. He won’t take verbal profession, zeal, or spectacular ministries as a substitute for obeying His Sermon on the Mount. He lays down obedience to His Sermon on the Mount as a sign of citizens of God’s kingdom. He knew verbal profession of His lordship was common and yet lack of obedience to His lordship was also common among His followers. Thus, He emphasizes the importance of actual obedience to His lordship, which means total devotion to His lordship in thoughts, words, and deeds.

The apostle John calls sin “lawlessness.” Sin is related to God’s law. God’s law reflects God’s will and character. So, when we obey God’s law, we follow God’s will and character. As much as we obey His law, we reflect God’s character in our beings. But when we disobey His law, we act as if we were in control. We reflect the character of Satan the lawless one. When we are saved, we are transferred from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God. Our loyalty and lordship are shifted from self, Satan, and the world, to God. The purpose of our salvation is not to continue serving self or Satan, but to serve God and be conformed to the image of God’s Son. In Romans 8:29, Paul says, 하나님이 미리 아신 자들로 또한 그 아들의 형상을 본받게 하기 위하여 미리 정하셨으니 이는 그로 많은 형제 중에서 맏아들이 되게 하려 하심이니라. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

What we do or what we are now reveals to whom we belong, whether we belong to God or Satan. Whether we obey God or Satan reveals our eternal destinations, God’s kingdom or Satan’s final abode. So, the apostle John says: ³ And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴ Whoever says ³ 우리가 그의 계명을 지키면 이로써 우리가 저를 아는 줄로 알 것이요 ⁴ 저를 아노라 하고 그의 계명을 지키지 아니하는 자는 거짓말하는 자요 진리가 그 속에 있지 아니하되 ⁵ 누구든지 그의 말씀을 지키는 자는 하나님의 사랑이 참으로 그 속에서 온전케 되었나니 이로써 우리가 저 안에 있는 줄을 아노라. "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, ⁵ but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (1Jo 2:3-5). If we keep His Word, we have a saving relationship with Him. But, if we keep breaking His Word habitually, we are lying about our relationship with Christ. Our obedience to God’s law reveals the fact that we belong to God.

Also, Samuel said, 사무엘이 가로되 여호와께서 번제와 다른 제사를 그 목소리 순종하는 것을 좋아하심 같이 좋아하시겠나이까 순종이 제사보다 낫고 듣는 것이 수양의 기름보다 나으니이는 거역하는 것은 사술의 죄와 같고 완고한 것은 사신 우상에게 절하는 죄와 같음이라 왕이 여호와의 말씀을 버렸으므로 여호와께서도 왕을 버려 왕이 되지 못하게 하셨나이다. "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king" (1 Sam. 15:22-23). Obedience is better than worship. Disobedience is like witchcraft. King Saul was rejected by God because he rejected God’s command. The Lord shall reject those who reject God’s Word.

Dr. Jones comments: 하나님은 우리의 제물을 원하시는 것이 아닙니다. 그분은 우리의 희생물을 원하시는 것이 아닙니다. 그분은 우리의 순종을 원하십니다. 그분은 우리를 원하십니다. 사람이 바른 것들을 말하고 매우 바쁘고 활동적이며 겉으로 볼 때 놀라운 일들을 이루면서도 여전히 자신을 하나님께 드리지 않을 수 있습니다. 그는 이 모든 것을 자신을 위하여 행할 수 있으며 가장 중요한 곳에서는 주님을 대항하고 있을 수도 있습니다. 바로 이것이 우리가 하나님께 범하는 가장 큰 모욕인 것입니다. ‘주여, 주여’라고 열정적으로 고백하고 바쁘고 활동적이면서도 하나님께 참된 충성과 순종을 하지 않으며 우리 삶의 통치권을 여전히 고집하면서 성경의 가르침이 아닌 자신의 견해와 주장으로 행할 것과 행할 방법을 결정하는 것보다 주님께 더욱 모욕적인 것이 있을까요? 주님께 대한 가장 큰 모욕은 전적으로 온전히 항복하지 않은 우리의 의지입니다. God does not want our offerings; He does not want our sacrifices; He wants our obedience, He wants us. It is possible for a man to say right things, to be very busy and active, to achieve apparently wonderful results, and yet not to give himself to the Lord. He may be doing it all for himself, and he may resisting the Lord in the most vital place of all. And that is finally the greatest insult we can offer to God. What can be a greater insult than to say: ‘Lord, Lord,’ fervently, to be busy and active, and yet to withhold true allegiance and submission from Him, to insist upon retaining control of our own lives, and to allow our own opinions and arguments, rather than those of Scripture, to control what we do and how we do it? The greatest insult to the Lord is a will that is not completely and entirely surrendered.

Obedience to God’s will is an expression of love for God. Obeying God is equal to loving God. It is not simply keeping the rules laid down by God. As a son honors, respects, and loves his father by obeying him, so we love God by obeying Him. So, obeying God in love is characteristics of God’s children. Certainly, it is not the ground for our entrance into the kingdom of heaven, but evidence of our salvation. Obedience is not like an option we may add to our cars. It is a necessity. It is not like fabric or leather seat. But it is the engine without which we can’t move toward heaven. God certainly pours in the fuel of His grace into the engine of our obedience, so that we will fulfill His will and expand His kingdom over the world. Thus, we should not take the matter of obedience optionally or lightly. We must see it as a matter of life and death. Without a due consideration of our eternal destiny, we won’t easily submit ourselves to the will of our heavenly Father.

Obeying God is a blessing and happiness to us. The Lord says, 오히려 하나님의 말씀을 듣고 지키는 자가 복이 있느니라 하시니라. "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (Lk. 11:28). The context tells that those obeying God’s Word is more blessed than Jesus’ mother who breastfed Him. Obeying His Word reveals we have an inseparable tie with God. The Lord says, 예수께서 대답하여 가라사대 내 모친과 내 동생들은 곧 하나님의 말씀을 듣고 행하는 이 사람들이라 하시니라. "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it" (Lk. 8:21). Listen to what Job says about his devotion to God’s Word: 내가 그의 입술의 명령을 어기지 아니하고 일정한 음식보다 그 입의 말씀을 귀히 여겼구나. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. (Job 23:12). Obeying God is loving God and neighbor. Obeying God brings us happiness the world never knows.

Conclusion: Dietrich Bonheoffer comments, 21-23절 말씀은 두려운 경고입니다. 가장 정통하게 신앙을 고백하는 것도 그것이 하나님의 뜻에 구체적으로 순종하는 것으로 나타나지 않는다면 하나님의 보시기에는 아무런 가치가 없습니다. 크게 소리 내어 입술로 하나님께 대한 믿음을 고백하며 예수님을 주님으로 부르면서도 생각과 말과 행동으로는 그분을 부인하기도 합니다. “Verses 21-23 are a dreadful warning: the most orthodox avowals of faith have no value in the eyes of God if they are not translated into concrete obedience to His will. One may with his lips loudly profess his faith in God, and even invoke Jesus as Lord, yet deny Him by thoughts, words, and acts.” We must not use profession, fervor, or other ministries as a substitute for obedience to God’s will. Obedience to God’s law is necessary, not as the ground, but as evidence of salvation. We have to take it seriously. Our salvation is evidenced by obedience to God, which is life. The ground for our salvation is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, which provides us constant example and motivation for our obedience. We must obey God’s law, not as a way of salvation, but as the fruit of salvation. We sum up the whole law of God with love for God and neighbor. The whole Sermon on the Mount can be summed up in love for God and neighbor. Christianity is not merely a talk, but a life to be lived. The purpose of our being saved is to love God and neighbor as ourselves. This is the law and the prophets. This is the Golden rule: "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” As we listen to the Lord’s teaching, we cannot but to confess how sinful and frail we are in carrying out the will of the Father. We know we can’t obey God perfectly. So, we turn to Christ by faith. Christ Himself obeyed the whole law and earned the prefect righteousness for us. Thus, those who trust His perfect obedience as the ground of justification shall pursue the life of loving God and neighbor as they daily repent of their sinful hearts and deeds. They rely on the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. We will not take advantage of God’s grace as an opportunity to continue in sin. Rather, we will rely on His enabling grace, so that we will be more like Christ day by day. The way of discipleship is tough but worthy of all. With it, there is eternal life and bliss in Christ. Shall we not pursue it in His grace?

Benediction: ²⁴ 여호와는 네게 복을 주시고 너를 지키시기를 원하며 ²⁵ 여호와는 그 얼굴로 네게 비취사 은혜 베푸시기를 원하며 ²⁶ 여호와는 그 얼굴을 네게로 향하여 드사 평강 주시기를 원하노라. ²⁴ The LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵ the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; ²⁶ the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace (Num. 6:24-26).